A wine service dispute at Mosu, the Michelin three-star fine-dining restaurant run by chef Ahn Sung-jae, has drawn attention online after the restaurant posted an apology and commenters criticized its wording.
Earlier, a customer identified as A wrote on a Naver cafe that during a visit to Mosuseoul, they ordered an expensive wine but believed a different wine was served. A said the sommelier held up a bottle described as a “2005” vintage and explained it as 2005, but after tasting the wine and checking the pairing list, the customer realized a 2000 vintage was supposed to be served.
Mosuseoul posted an apology on its official social media account on the 23rd, saying it “bows its head in apology” over the matter that became known through an online community.
The restaurant said that on the 19th, during wine pairing service, “accurate guidance was not provided,” causing confusion. It also apologized for not giving a sufficient explanation during follow-up communication, saying it caused “great disappointment.” Mosuseoul added that it separately apologized to the customer afterward and that the customer “generously accepted” it, but said the restaurant takes seriously that the process still fell short of expectations.
“Chef Ahn Sung-jae and the entire Mosu team are taking this matter very seriously,” the statement said, adding that it would review overall service and prevent a recurrence. It said it would not stop at a “showy apology” and would work to rebuild trust with sincerity.
Many online commenters reacted negatively to the apology, saying it avoided stating exactly what happened and lacked specific steps to prevent a repeat. Some also criticized the line that the customer “generously accepted” the apology, saying it sounded dismissive.
One commenter wrote that the statement did not say what was done wrong, offered no prevention plan and did not mention any disciplinary action for the employee involved. Another said the issue appeared to be about trust, not simply a guidance problem, arguing the customer seemed disappointed by what they viewed as an attempt to gloss over the matter.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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